The family that has run Belvedere Plantation for nearly six decades went to Facebook this week to speak for itself.
The message was meant to be clear. The Fall Harvest Festival still opens Sept. 12. Field trips, the corn maze, and the pumpkin patch are not canceled. Nothing about this season changes. The Fulks family said it wanted customers to hear that from them, not from the rumor mill.
Just after 4 a.m. Monday, Spotsylvania Fire and Rescue units responded to a large fire at the Pick-A-Part auto salvage yard in the 9000 block of Patriot Highway. Crews found a significant blaze involving multiple vehicles that spread through the junkyard; more than 100 vehicles are believed to have been involved.
More than 30 fire and rescue personnel remained on scene later in the morning extinguishing remaining fire and conducting overhaul operations, with crews expected to stay for several more hours. No injuries were reported to civilians or firefighters, according to an update from the Spotsylvania Emergency Communications Center.
“Spotsylvania School Board voted 4-3 on Monday against directing staff to develop a policy for pre-employment, suspicionless drug testing of new hires and rehires,” Fredericksburg Free Press reported. The decision, the second consecutive monthly rejection of the idea, came after Chair Megan Jackson switched her position to support the measure while Salem representative Lorita Daniels switched to oppose it; public commenters, including local and state education association leaders, largely opposed the proposal on grounds of privacy, cost, and professional dignity.
The debate stems from a 2024 incident in which a teacher was found with drugs in a Spotswood Elementary classroom and later terminated; the division already conducts suspicion-based testing and has added training since then. Board members remain divided over whether mandatory pre-hire screening would improve student safety or merely signal distrust of educators at a time when Virginia school systems face ongoing staffing and retention pressures.
“Spotsylvania School Board member Jennifer Craig-Ford is seeking an opinion from the Virginia attorney general on whether local school boards can require suspicion-less pre-employment drug testing of teachers and other staff with direct student contact,” Fredericksburg Free Press reported. Craig-Ford, who voted with the board majority earlier this month against implementing such testing, has asked local legislators to request formal guidance on four questions involving state law, constitutional limits under the Fourth Amendment and Virginia Constitution, and whether rules differ for new hires or specific employee categories.
The school division already conducts federally required testing for commercial driver’s license bus drivers and suspicion-based testing for other employees; no other Virginia school division currently mandates pre-employment drug screens for classroom staff. Delegates Nicole Cole and Josh Cole said they will send a joint letter to Attorney General Jay Jones seeking the opinion.
Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office released details of a single-vehicle crash that killed 19-year-old Carter Ajello of Spotsylvania on July 5, 2026. Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office reported that deputies and fire rescue responded around 5:45 a.m. to the 6000 block of Ridge Road, where a 2009 Jeep Cherokee left the roadway and struck a tree; the driver was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit is continuing its investigation into the incident, with next of kin already notified. The crash highlights ongoing concerns about early morning roadway safety in Spotsylvania County.
“A man drowned at Lake Anna State Park in Spotsylvania County on Thursday,” WTVR CBS 6 reported. “Park guests found the man unresponsive in about 10 feet of water Thursday afternoon.”
Park rangers and guests pulled the man from the water and began CPR before Spotsylvania Fire and Rescue arrived and continued lifesaving efforts. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity is being withheld pending family notification, and the beach remains closed until further notice.
The child’s mother was with the infant inside a nearby business when first responders arrived. Fire rescue crews rushed the baby to Mary Washington Hospital, but the infant was later pronounced deceased.
According to the Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office, investigators determined the child had been left in a car seat inside a vehicle for an extended period while the mother was at work. The vehicle was not running and the heat index was high at the time. The 42-year-old mother from Stafford County was arrested and charged with child endangerment and child abuse. She was taken to the Rappahannock Regional Jail.
Spotsylvania Towne Centre will host a three-day Valentine’s-themed craft and vendor market next month, bringing together local artisans, small businesses, and specialty vendors for a weekend of shopping and community support.
The Fredericksburg Valentine’s Craft and Vendor Market runs Friday, February 13, through Sunday, February 15, 2026, inside the shopping mall near Fredericksburg. Shoppers can browse handmade goods, specialty items, sweet treats, and unique gift ideas tied to Valentine’s Day and Galentine’s Day celebrations, according to event organizers.
Families were advised to check their email for additional details about Code 3 operations during the two-day remote learning period.
A man was arrested in Spotsylvania County following a tip about child sexual abuse material.
Deputies with the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) unit executed a search warrant on January 22 at a home on Wilderness Park Drive after a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Investigators say they seized multiple electronic devices containing images of child sexual abuse. A 40-year-old man was arrested and charged with six counts related to possession and distribution of child pornography. He is being held without bond.
